Kelly remains in the eye of the White House storm

15 Febrero 2018

Questions persisted about what and when Kelly knew about the abuse allegations against Porter, who resigned as staff secretary last week after the accusations became public. The FBI, conducting a background check on Porter, informed White House officials last March about Porter's alleged domestic violence and completed its initial investigation last July, Wray said. Willoughby tells Porter what she had explained to the FBI, and he warns White House Counsel Don McGahn that there might be unflattering information in his background check.

Late July 2017, date unknown: The FBI gives the White House 'a completed background investigation' on Porter, according to Wray. Pending further revelations, I'll leave you with a quote from the late, great Kate O'Beirne, pundit emeritus, who used to say, "Never cheat on your mistress". But interim standing shouldn't remain in effect for more than a year for such a sensitive White House post.

"Soon thereafter, we received requests for follow-up inquiry, and we did the follow-up and provided that information in November and we administratively closed the file in January and then earlier this month we received some additional information and we passed that on as well". She said his departure was "a personal decision that Rob made, and one that he was not pressured to do, but one that he made on his own".

A final takeaway from the briefing is that the system operating between the White House and the intelligence community is broken when it comes to the security clearance and classification process.

The case has raised questions about security clearances at the White House.

In testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Wray pointed out a contradictory and frequently changing storyline from the White House about a scandal that has engulfed the West Wing.

"We we have moved this to a very top priority because it is really undermining our ability to get the right people into the right place at the right time", the director of national intelligence added.

"It's truly the lowest of low - and you have to take it very seriously". President Trump speaks with Porter about the allegations and accepts his resignation.

Kelly has said that he took action against Porter within 40 minutes of learning on Feb. 8, when the accusations against were first reported by The Daily Mail, that the allegations against him were true.

On Monday, O'Donnell slammed counselor Kellyanne Conway for her assertion that the White House Communications Director Hicks is a "strong woman". "Those who are in a position to do something about it ought to". Some 700,000 reviews have stacked up across the government, leading agencies like the Defense Department to inadvertently issue interim passes to criminals - even rapists and killers - prompting calls for better and faster vetting of people with access to the nation's secrets.

The White House claims it didn't know about the allegations until recently, but FBI Director Christopher Wray blew that story out of the water when he testified the bureau repeatedly briefed the White House last year on its investigation into the aide.

Not by his two ex-wives, one of whom had sought a restraining order against Porter during their marriage.

No doubt this vexes people who benefited from the free-for-all atmosphere of the pre-Kelly days. Porter denied all allegations and claimed he was the target of a smear campaign. He added that Porter said he was innocent. The fact that these same ugly human beings are also playing fast and loose with security clearances and classified information is borderline treasonous and an impeachable offense. But those things would be crazy.

In an op-ed in the Washington Post, Porter's ex-wife Colbie Holderness said Conway's comment "implies that those who have been in abusive relationships are not strong".

In Trump's first comments after Porter resigned, he praised his former aide.